


Picture Pieces

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Babybones (Undertale), Banter, Body Modification, Brotherhood, Brotherly Affection, Bullying, Childhood Friends, Chronic Illness, Dead animals, Depression, Drabble Collection, Dysfunctional Family, Exhaustion, Father Figures, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Microfic, Minor Character Death, Mugging, One Word Prompts, Panic Attacks, Papyrus (Undertale) Remembers Resets, Protectiveness, Regret, Running Away, Sans (Undertale) Remembers Resets, Self-Harm, Singing, Smoking, Spoon Theory, Talk of Reproduction, Teasing, Teeth, Undertale Genocide Route, Unhealthy Relationships, Unrequited Crush, W. D. Gaster Being A Jerk, Winter, first kill, naivete
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 3,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24640432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: A collection of microfics based on brief prompts, starring the skelebros and perhaps others if I find the inspiration. None are connected to each other unless specified. (AU's are in chapter titles!)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 87





	1. Ungrateful, UF

“I don’t want this, Sans, not after you’ve made such a mess of it! Take it back—or just get rid of it for good! It’s putrid!” Papyrus’ new favorite word, especially when it came to anything Sans-related.

“I washed it in Waterfall! It’s fine and it’s all you got now, so shut up and act grateful for once in your life,” the elder snapped, teeth grinding as he watched his brother squirm and pick irritably at the worn, banded shirt he was passing down to him. He had no idea how vital those stripes were to keeping him safe. No monster with any scrap of dignity would attack a child still in stripes…Sans felt naked now without them.


	2. Maybe, US

“This will be the one, brother, I’m sure of it,” Blue ventured, patting softly at the lump of blankets in an attempt to squeeze Papy’s shoulder. “I have a magnificent speech planned. I’ll entreat them so richly and earnestly that the human will never be able to refuse! I’ll convince them. They’ll stop all of this nonsense, surrender and be _good_ to us. You’ll see!”

Papyrus didn’t stir nor did he meet Blue’s encouraging gaze. He kept his face buried in his pillow, his croaked answer barely audible. “…Maybe.”


	3. Runaway, UT

“Running away?” Sans echoed lightly, trying not to let his mouth twitch in too much amusement as he watched Papyrus lug one of their father’s suitcases down the stairs. “Bro, are you sure about this?”

“The— _nngh_ —The Great Papyrus is always sure of everything!” he shot back, straining as the suitcase wheels caught against the bannister. “Ugh! I am running away right this instant…m-maybe just jogging if I have to drag all of my things by myself. Anyway, brother, I am going to live with Undyne!”

“Wow, sounds like a great oppor- _tuna_ -ty.” Even under the weight of Pap’s withering glare, he shrugged largely. “Well, if you’re sure you’ve packed everything, I won’t stop you. Got your pillow, your action figures, Fluffy Bunny…Oh, I guess Undyne will have to read that to you now.”

That froze Papyrus’ hand halfway to the doorknob.


	4. Dance, UT

Frozen. Knife straining, bared teeth glinting like the whites of their crazed eyes as they twitched rigidly in vain against Sans’ blue hold on their soul. He held it in such a stranglehold that the kid couldn’t even speak to taunt him. They could barely breathe.

“Gotta admit…” he panted, smile twisting in grim satisfaction as he drew a finger through the air, watching their helpless body float along after it. “This is the part I could get used to…Making you _dance_.” Some small semblance of control over them, at the end of the world.

Their back crunched as he hurled them into the next wall of bones.


	5. Catch, UF

“Oh, very impressive, Sans! I applaud you. The one thing about you that continues to astound me is your utter uselessness! It’s a wonder that you haven’t dusted yourself already, given how ignorant you are to your surroundings! The next time you fail to watch your step, I will _not_ catch you! Whatever fate awaits you at the bottom of the next cliff is your problem! Understand?!”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah…Sorry, boss,” Sans mumbled distantly, only given a moment to enjoy the long lost sensation of Papyrus’ arms around him before the other growled and shoved him back into the nearest snowdrift.


	6. Forgiveness, US

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied Swap Soriel, if you squint really hard

“You are very kind, Sans, and it eases my heart to know that you think so highly of me. Still, I’m afraid there’s very little that could ever relieve me of this…weight that I hold.” The queen’s smile was weak as she glanced down at him. “My duties have called for…many terrible things.”

That should have given him pause, but he didn’t miss a beat. “Whatever you’ve done, your grace, I’m certain it’s not so awful that you can’t be forgiven. No one is irredeemable! And if you’re ever faced with something terrible again, you can choose to do better. I know you can.”

The hope and adoration in his eyes made her ache. “You are very kind,” she said again. _Kind. Charming. Sweet. Naïve_. He couldn’t understand and she couldn’t bear to make him.


	7. Exhaustion, UT

“I can scarcely believe it, Sans, but I must congratulate you! You’ve worked very hard today!” Even without that starting line, Papyrus’ dumbfounded tone would have gotten the point across.

“Yeah, well…y’know…” he panted, his grin slightly loopy as he stretched and cracked each of his vertebrae. “We both put some _backbone_ into it…It was a _joint_ effort…Even if it was just us, we make a good skeleton crew…!”

“Oh, for the love of—!” Even as he seethed, Papyrus wasted no time snatching his brother under the arms for support as his weak knees buckled. True to form, Sans sank gracelessly into his hold, skull plonking against Papyrus' shoulder as he lifted him. “You are lucky to have a strong, stalwart, _compassionate_ brother such as I or you would be walking home.”


	8. Reproduction, UT

“…We all know how the rabbits and the dogs and all them get to work—a little _too_ much work, if you ask me,” Sans went on, his signature grin widening at Grillby’s crackle of resignation. He was doing his best to look busy, wiping down glasses, but he could have gone to the back at any time if he was that desperate to escape the conversation. “How about your kind, Grillbz? How do little firecrackers happen? Do _sparks fly?_ Heheh.”

“… … …Coal.” That explained exactly nothing yet Grillby shrugged, as if that was all there was to say on the matter. “… … …Bones?”

“Oh, that’s easy. Baby bones are tiny; they sit at the bottom of every milk carton! If anyone ever thought to break one open, they could cal- _see_ -‘ _um_ —but no one ever thinks of that, do they, before they give the carton a shake?” 

“… … …Gross.”

“Sure, sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans starts uncomfortable conversations about reproduction just so he can spread fantastical rumors about how baby bones are made. (Papyrus probably doesn't even know the truth at this point)


	9. Friendship, UT

“I don’t want to hear any more of this. Look at your arm, Pap, really look at it! This isn’t right!” His tone must have been harsher than he intended, as Papyrus rocked back and hunched his shoulders. Inhaling deeply, Sans paused for a beat. “You can’t go and see them again. You understand?”

“No, I do not!” he countered earnestly. “This is my first real friendship, brother! We were only playing; I’m sure it was an accident! T-Though they didn’t apologize…they didn’t _say_ they meant to, which obviously means they didn’t! It was my fault for slipping after they shoved me. I forgive them!”

“Ugh, of course you do. You’re too good for them.”


	10. Melody, US

There was a multitude of reasons for Blue to despise Papyrus’ cigarettes—the stench, the smoke stains and the litter were all worthy contenders for first prize but the longer he pondered it, the clearer it became that Blue’s biggest loss was Papyrus’ singing.

It had been beautiful once, back when Papy cared enough about the world to grace it with his voice. He would croon to the echo flowers, happy knowing that some passerby would be treated to some sweet, silly tune that might lift their spirits. He could listen to the river person hum for just a few moments and find the melody like he had written it himself. His lullabies could carry Blue back to their childhood home, to their father tucking them in for the night.

No longer. “Death’s matchsticks” had poisoned his brother's throat, made him mumbly and scratchy and rough. Blue would always feel more anger over that than the fumes.


	11. Fault, UF

Sans had never seen him cry like this before. Tears were a weakness that Papyrus had learned to hide long ago but now…now they stained his cheekbones freely as he stood before him with knocking knees and dust coating his tattered mittens.

“I didn’t mean to!” he choked out. “I didn’t think! I—I just wanted to make them stop!”

“Pap…” With a shaky breath Sans plodded forward, over the remains scattered under their feet. When he drew Papyrus to him, he didn’t resist, hiding his face from the world against Sans’ shoulder. “I’m sure you just…did what’cha had to, so you could stay safe,” he managed, trying not to sound ill. “It’s not your fault.”


	12. Warmth, UT

“There we g-go…That’s b-better, isn’t it? Nice and warm for you,” Sans ventured, teeth chattering as he forced a weak smile. His fingers buzzed numbly in the cold as he tucked and smoothed the folds of the worn, faded coat he’d salvaged from the dump. Nestled securely in its folds, Papyrus babbled nonsensically, trying to gnaw on one of the drawstrings.

“B-Big bro’s giving you the d-deluxe treatment. Whoever lost it sh-should’ve known better than to leave a nice coat like this lying around…Never know when s-somebody might _jack it_.” With a wheezy laugh that created a harsh plume of steam in the bitter air, he scooped his charge up in trembling arms and began wading through the next snowdrift.


	13. Hatred, US

“Ugh! Hurry it along, brother, we’re almost home,” Blue grumbled, reeling as Papyrus slumped drunkenly over him for balance. “Hey! Don’t be so lazy! I’ll hold your arm over my shoulders but you walk on your own two feet!”

“Nnnh…Sans-s-s?” Papyrus’ hand shook as he hooked it against his armor, struggling for his balance. “D’you…D’you hate me, Sans? For draggin’ you down every day of y’life?”

“I… _What?_ ” When Blue stumbled and glanced up at him, he found Papyrus’ head hanging, eye sockets hollow and empty. “Of course I don’t hate you!” His brother snorted softly, skeptically, earning a glare. “I _do not_ hate you, Papyrus! I’m often…hurt and disappointed and angry about your choices, but you are my own bone and marrow. I could never turn my back on you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of saying "flesh and blood", they say "bone and marrow". Kinda proud of myself for that one ^^


	14. Suffer, Nightmare/Killer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: **self-harm and unhealthy relationship dynamics**

The knife had pierced the shell of Killer’s periosteum. His dust burned as it flaked off and drifted to the floor between his knees. Thick, oily black tears streamed from his eye sockets as the pain crested higher, higher—but in the long run, that wasn’t important. All that mattered was the smile fixed on Nightmare’s face. It was a _true_ smile, one he hadn’t seen in so long.

 _Is my suffering enough to satiate you?_ Killer wondered with an ill, dizzy euphoria, desperate gaze pinned on his superior. _Are you pleased with me?_

Perhaps Nightmare could sense his thoughts, as one tendril eased forward to pet Killer’s head. “Very good,” he purred. Two words were all the motivation he needed to make another slice.


	15. Thankless, UF

“How could it possibly enter your thick skull to do something so _stupid?!_ All these weeks spent on drills and practices so you would _think_ before you act in a battle and still you just—Your job is _defense_ , you fool, not offense!”

“What d’you think what I was doin’? Defending you! All I was thinkin’ at the time was that my broth—my _boss_ was wide open to gettin’ shanked,” Sans snarled. “I was just doing my job, thankless as it is! All I get as a reward is your nagging.”

“I didn't need you! I had the situation well in hand!”

“Yeah? Maybe I should’ve just let him gut you, then!” They were empty words; both of them knew he could never find it himself to let it happen, but that didn’t mask the flash of some nameless, unguarded emotion in Papyrus’ eyes before he recovered enough to shove Sans to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone get these emotionally constipated boys some therapy


	16. Sharpened, UF

_Stop shaking, stop shaking…Y’can’t afford to screw this up_. _You do, there’s no goin’ back_. Sucking in a harsh breath, Sans adjusted his grip on the coarse, ragged file. Was it possible that his hands were sweating? It couldn’t be, right?

Papyrus made a small noise in the back of his throat—a noise of pain? Hesitation?—bringing the elder out of his thoughts. “You’re…You’re doin’ great, bro,” he assured him with a hurried, awkward little pat to his mandible. “Just keep still. S’already lookin’ good, nice and menacing.”

The spark of renewed certainty and pride in Pap’s eyelights had to mean this was worth it, right? Rolling hard tension out of his shoulders, Sans forced his concentration back to his brother’s teeth, sawing painstakingly at the enamel to carve keen edges and points.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon is that when you're a kid in Underfell, you've gotta find some creative ways to look intimidating. The boys weren't born with those sharp teeth; they made them.


	17. Butterflies, UT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied one-sided, confused Undyrus

“What do you do when you like someone?” Papyrus froze as soon as the words left his mouth, teeth chattering as Undyne glanced curiously over. “I, um, I have a friend—a friend who’s not me—who has these really strange feelings for someone. My…friend likes someone. _His_ friend! He likes his friend very much and when he’s with her—his friend, not mine—he feels very happy but also…light and sick, somehow.”

“Oooh, he’s got the butterflies in his stomach!” Snickering, Undyne jostled him sideways to snag one of his action figures. “You wouldn’t know, huh? You don’t have a stomach. It’s whatever, Paps! Mom says that kids don’t like each other as ‘ _more_ _friends’_ forever. The butterflies go away ‘til you’re grown up!”

“Oh…” Maybe that was a relief, he decided as he rubbed the shoulder she’d shoved. If butterflies were just a common bug, he was sure to get better soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me but I've always kind of shipped this ^^" I know it's not possible, though, so I'll settle for the one-sided crush.


	18. Taste, Horror

Papyrus had never been able to examine a human this closely before. The first one he had encountered so long ago had escaped before he had the chance to pull at their clothing, poke at their flesh and hair. Face as pale as Papyrus’ own bones, this one stared, gaze dull and lightless.

“Are you sleeping, human?” he ventured, petting their hair. Strands of it tore off in his fingers, wet with melting snow. “How peculiar you are, sleeping with your eyes open and marinara spilled down your front!”

“Humans are funny that way,” Sans grunted as he shouldered forward, axe dragging against the ice. “Stand back so I can get you a head bowl for lunch.”

“You’re certain that’s the proper name for it? I thought that the human term for it was ‘ _bread_ bowl’.”

“Heh…sure, bro. To each his own taste.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it cannibalism if it's monsters preparing to eat humans?


	19. Ransom, UT

“This isn’t fair, Sans! You can’t do this!”

“From here it looks like I already have.”

On the other side of the table, Papyrus wriggled and whined, throwing his skull back against his chair. “I have fun, important, interesting things to do! The new snow outside is perfect for snow forts and I promised Undyne I’d come play humans and monsters!”

“And you will, once you finish your dinner and homework.”

“No-o-o-o!”

“Well, that’s a shame, because I’m holding you for ransom!” Sans picked up the cnemides he had set aside, rattling them in lamentation. “Help us, Papyrus! Shake a leg! _Hop_ to it so we can come back to you!”

Growling, Papyrus seized his fork in a stranglehold. “I’ll get you back! One day when you don’t expect it, I’ll steal _your_ legs and I’ll hide them where you’ll never, ever find them!”

“Then I’ll just spend the rest of my days happily going nowhere at all. That sounds fantastic!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cnemides are the lower half of the legs.  
> Pap: *tries to escape out the door walking on nothing but his kneecaps*


	20. Expectation, UF

“ _What do I expect of you, Subject 1?!_ ” The doctor’s booming voice over the intercom made S-1’s frame judder as he struggled exhaustedly to stand. Sweat burned the rims of his eye sockets and his ribs felt too tight around his soul.

“Get up, you numbskull, hurry! Get up!” Subject 2 hissed, making an abortive move toward him with a hand outstretched, only to stop dead when the collar clamped around his throat crackled in warning.

“ _What do I expect of you? Respond!_ ”

“Power…” S-1 wheezed hoarsely. “Precision. Poise.” Head swimming as he peered up at the darkened room where their tormentor sat, he forced a crooked smile. “ _Piss off_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It shouldn't be any surprise that Fell Gaster didn't get along with his creations ^^"


	21. Nicknames, UT

Papyrus called Sans “Brother”. He wasn’t like the other children; they would call their siblings “Dummy”, “Doofus”, “Idiot” and other colorful nicknames that made Papyrus squirm. As annoying as Sans could be sometimes, he wasn’t any of those things. Papyrus didn’t like to put anyone down, so he simply called him “Brother”.

It served as a firm reminder not to call him…something else. He suspected Sans wouldn’t be happy if he did.

 _Brothers can’t be fathers too,_ he mused as he stared after the kids running past him toward their parents. _Not even if that brother’s the only family you’ve ever had. Not even if he’s the one who got your house and your clothes and your toys and your dinner…The one who reads you stories and checks under your bed for humans…The one who_ —

“Hey, bro. How was school?” Sans broke into his thoughts, strolling expertly through the crowd of pickups.

“Fa—Fine! Fine, brother, as always,” he promised as he took his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewatched some of Disney's Onward and got "brother-turned-father-figure" feels <3


	22. Abandoned, US

“I don’t understand…I c- _can’t_ understand it…” The words clung to Blue’s mouth, gluey, tremulous. “T-The one time, the _only_ time you take your work seriously, brother, and you leave me behind? You abandon me to face the human on your own?! _I_ could have—It was _my_ job to—!” _Save. Protect. Be all the things a royal guardsman should. It should have been me_.

A new thought, charged with dread and anguish: _You knew…it was_ meant _to be me_.

Shuddering, he gathered soft slush and dust in his hands. It spilled over, coating his arms, falling to splash into his lap. A shrill, strangled moan escaped him at the sight; it felt like his ribs would fracture with the sound. “Why must you always make a mess? Why? Why, why, _why?_ ”


	23. Prey, UT

_One. Two. Three. Four_. The panic was electrifying, buzzing and sparking through Alphys’ body with reckless abandon. She couldn’t escape it.

“Hey. Just focus on me, Al. Look here,” Sans instructed firmly. Though he didn’t offer his hand to her, he didn’t jerk away when she grabbed it, desperately squeezing his fingers. “Look at me.”

She looked, quivering at the steady pulse of blue and gold in his eye socket. He was angry. Angry for her sake? She didn't deserve it; she couldn't even defend herself. “I d-d-don’t know what I did wrong!” she choked out. “T-Those humans…” She was lucky that all they had wanted was her purse.

“Humans are predators. They see weakness and their first instinct is to prey on it.” Why did he spit that as if he had firsthand experience? “Just keep breathing. S’all that matters now.”


	24. Memoriam, UF

“What is it, Sans?” Papyrus’ curiosity was infuriating, urging him on to poke and prod at the drenched, motionless form. “It’s not like any monster I’ve seen!”

“I dunno, okay? Just stop touching it! Can’t y’smell that already? Y’don’t wanna get that stink on your clothes,” Sans shot back, looking it up and down with revulsion. “It’s probably some kind of Surface animal. Died, got carried down here by the falls with the rest of the junk.”

He should have known that was the wrong thing to say; Papyrus had way too many questions about the world above. “Is the Surface like the Underground, Sans? Kill or be killed? Was it killed for LV?”

“How should I know? S’not like I’ve been up there to tell you for sure.”

“Mmm.” After a long moment of thought, Papyrus bent and curled a hand firmly into its wet, matted fur, dragging out a few snarled chunks of it. Sans jerked back, aghast.

“W-What are you doin’, Pap?! That’s disgusting!”

“Someone needs to scatter its ‘dust,’” he announced, wading further down where the river was clearer. “None of its family is down here to do it.”


	25. Home, UT

“We’re home? Is this all ours, Sans? Really our home for real?”

Gazing around the house he'd spent a precious, desperately scrounged fortune on—bare, scuffed floors, patchy walls and cupboards filled with nothing but cobwebs—Sans suppressed a throb of disappointment. Papyrus deserved so much better. Regardless he smiled, lightly petting Pap’s skull.

“Yeah, bud. It’s all ours, but it’s not home. You like cars, right? Think of this place as a pit stop til we make it to the Surface.”


	26. Chronic, US

Stuffed in a corner booth, stiff, sluggish and sore, Papyrus let the grating stimulation of the others’ chatter roll off his back. It wasn’t long before Blue noticed his glazed eye sockets and loose jaw, sliding sideways to gently nudge his arm.

“Brother? How many bones?” he whispered under the din. A “bone” represented a fraction of Pap’s 1 HP, chipped away by the duties of the day.

“Not enough,” he rasped, swallowing against a sweep of relief as Blue promptly raised his hand for the check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of the Spoon Theory, chronically ill skeletons have the Bone Theory. Clever job, me XD
> 
> In case you're unaware of the [Spoon Theory](https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/patient/resources/pain-self-management/using-spoon-theory-explain-chronic-pain), it's for disabled/chronically afflicted people. We start out the day with limited energy, in this case represented by a handful of spoons. Every activity takes away some spoons: getting out of bed, getting dressed, making food, eating the food, taking meds, so on and so forth. Once you're out of spoons, that's it. Your body can't handle any more for the day (unless you "borrow" spoons that you might have used tomorrow, but that will make tomorrow worse.) I figure with only 1 HP, chronic illness and fatigue is to be expected.


	27. Matter, UT

“Don’t laze about on the floor, brother.” Papyrus must have sensed something was wrong; his scolding was mild at best. “Sleep is what you have a bed for. You’ll slip a rib out.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sans mumbled, voice a wretched croak and cheekbones wet against Papyrus’ shoulder as he was lifted. “None of it matters.”

“There, you see? You only say such preposterous things when you’re exhausted.” Unrolling Sans’ wadded ball of sheets brought about a sort of tangled nest for them to settle in together. “It matters simply because you do.”


	28. "Are you serious?", US

“I don’t understand!” Blue stammered as he pressed a healing hand to the cracks spanning the length of Papyrus’ cheekbone. “The human— _our_ human is kind to us! Surely the rest of their city’s populace…Perhaps they hurt you by accident! They weren’t aware of your condition! Surely it was just a misunder—”

Papyrus flinched back, eye sockets widening almost imperceptibly. “Are you serious? You’re looking at your own brother right now, like this, and taking _their_ side?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes in trying to see the best in _everyone_ , you can be unfortunately blind to the bad.


	29. Packing, UT

“Sans, I can’t possibly sort through our entire house by myself—certainly not this disaster you call your bedroom! If you don’t pack any of your things for the Surface, we’ll simply have to leave them behind!” Papyrus sighed as he leaned to scoop Sans out of bed. “Brother? No struggle, no beseeching for five more minutes?” His intended rib fell flat; his smile waned. “Are you feeling unwell?”

He didn’t feel anything. “Don’t you get _tired_ of packing, Pap? We both know where it’s gonna end up. Right back here. Why waste your time?”


	30. Innocent, UF

The baby bones was tumbling clumsily across the scuffed floor of Sans’ room, babbling in wonder. To his tiny eye sockets, the cell must seem enormous and full of mystery.

Whatever future he had in this place, however short, would be miserable. Sans was wise to the doctor’s scheme already: Gaster wanted to strip him of any meager strength he had, ply his soul with something innocent and vulnerable. Somehow he expected a cellmate to soften Sans up.

Not just a _cellmate_ , the baby seemed to believe, cooing in delight as he reached for the elder. A playmate!

“Stupid,” Sans grumbled, fidgeting away from him.

 _It_. “ _It_ ,” not “him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red: I'm not going to get attached to you.  
> Baby Edge: *grabby hands* I shall attach myself for convenience :3


End file.
